Geometric Beading is HOT! Explore it With These 4 Projects

We love seeing readers making your own versions of the projects in Beadwork magazine! Beadwork Fall 2021 has been hot off the press for less than two weeks and you’re already trying your hand at these inspiring geometric beading jewelry designs. Here’s a peek at the stories behind the projects and links to bonus material such as additional colorways, coordinating earring instructions, and more.

Dimensional Pendants and Ropes

Leslie Rogalski’s Framed Coin Pendant uses an exciting combination of stitches. Ladder stitch, peyote stitch, and tubular herringbone stitch come together to form colorful, dimensional beadwork. Leslie’s go-to design element is the highly contrasting combination of black and white, or a twist on that combo such as black with a bright color like she used in this design.

The warped square bail is a great way to dip your toes into contemporary geometric beading. Folded in half it makes an attractive V-shaped bail. The peyote-stitched frame encloses a unique coin bead, which could be substituted for any of your favorite beads that deserve to be framed. If you don’t have time to make a beaded rope right now, slip your pendant onto a leather cord or antiqued chain necklace.

Stitch Circles and Squares

Motivated by the color combinations of the mid-century and the fluidness of circles, Kim Leahy’s Mitzi Midcentury set is a colorful homage to sleek lines and geometric forms. Combine circular square stitch, herringbone stitch, and peyote stitch color along with a bit of mixed media in the chain. This geometric beading project ticks all the boxes for a fun time.

Mitzi Midcentury Bonus – We couldn’t squeeze the earring instructions into the issue, so we posted the free bonus instructions online. Enjoy and please show us what you make! iwbeadjewelry@goldenpeakmedia.com.

Beadwork + Memory Wire = Fin-tastic!

This playful Shark Bite cuff by Connie Bradley is inspired by the designer’s granddaughter’s love of the Baby Shark song. (Sing it with me! Doot doot doot doot doot.) The structure of the bracelet is made sturdy by hidden memory wire – and the fierce fin shapes, of course. And the tassels are just plain fun.

Find the materials for alternate colorways online. We love sharing these extra guides so you can see projects with new eyes. Maybe pink with green is more your style – or blue with gold? Either way, take a look at the materials lists for the alternate colorways and see how they spark your imagination.

Ups and Downs

This beautiful Zigzag Fun bracelet by Leslie Venturoso uses “rick-rack” techniques pioneered by Kate McKinnon and Jean Power. Leslie shows how to create a zigzag base that you can reuse to make this playful bracelet over and over again in whatever colors you like!

Use flat peyote stitch, picot, right-angle weave, and tubular peyote stitch to stitch through ups and downs to make the bracelet in your favorite colors. Here’s an alternate colorway in a more neutral palette. Have fun!

Pyramids and More Geometric Beading

If you want to take a deep dive into geometric beading, start with Bead Buzz: Johnson Solids Beaded Beads Project Connects Beading and Science, our recent article about Diane Fitzgerald’s exploration of 92 shapes. The Johnson solids are three-dimensional shapes assembled from the flat shapes: triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, and decagons. As Meredith Steele points out, “The simplest one is the square-based pyramid that we all know from ancient Egypt: four triangles and a square.”

If stringing beaded projects is more your speed, be sure to check out the Fast & Fabulous Geometric Shapes pattern pack. Seven stringing projects are inspired by circles, squares, honeycomb, dodecahedrons, and more. One of the projects in the collection features a color-blocked beadwork square, and all of the projects are quick makes you can wear tomorrow.

Happy beading,
Katie Hacker, Beadwork Editor and Jewelry Artist podcast host